The effect of abolishing university tuition costs: Evidence from Ireland

University tuition fees for undergraduates were abolished in Ireland in 1996. This paper examines the effect of this reform on the socio-economic gradient to determine whether the reform was successful in achieving its objective of promoting educational equality that is improving the chances of low socio-economic status (SES) students progressing to university. It finds that the reform clearly did not have that effect. The results are consistent with recent findings for the UK which show that the socio-economic gradient in second level attainment largely explain the socio-economic gradient in higher education participation.